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Book Description

Unravel the mysteries of blockchains 

Blockchain technologies are disrupting some of the world’s biggest industries. Blockchain For Dummies provides a fast way to catch up with the essentials of this quickly evolving tech. Written by an author involved in founding and analyzing blockchain solutions, this book serves to help those who need to understand what a blockchain can do (and can't do).

This revised edition walks you through how a blockchainsecurely records data across independent networks. It offers a tour of some of the world’s best-known blockchains, including those that power Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. It also provides a glance at how blockchain solutions are affecting the worlds of finance, supply chain management, insurance, and governments.

  • Get a clear picture of what a blockchain can do
  • Learn how blockchains rule cryptocurrency and smart contracts
  • Discover current blockchains and how each of them work
  • Test blockchain apps

Blockchain has become the critical buzzword in the world of financial technology and transaction security — and now you can make sense of it with the help of this essential guide.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Beyond the Book
    5. Where to Go from Here
  3. Part 1: Getting Started with Blockchain
    1. Chapter 1: Introducing Blockchain
      1. Beginning at the Beginning: What Blockchains Are
      2. The Structure of Blockchains
      3. Blockchain Applications
      4. The Blockchain Life Cycle
      5. Consensus: The Driving Force of Blockchains
      6. Blockchains in Use
    2. Chapter 2: Picking a Blockchain
      1. Where Blockchains Add Substance
      2. Choosing a Solution
    3. Chapter 3: Getting Your Hands on Blockchain
      1. Diving into Blockchain Technology
      2. Securing and Exchanging Your Cryptocurrency
      3. Building a Private Blockchain with Docker and Ethereum
  4. Part 2: Developing Your Knowledge
    1. Chapter 4: Beholding the Bitcoin Blockchain
      1. Getting a Brief History of the Bitcoin Blockchain
      2. The New Bitcoin: Bitcoin Cash
      3. Debunking Some Common Bitcoin Misconceptions
      4. Bitcoin: The New Wild West
      5. Mining for Bitcoins
      6. Making Your First Paper Wallet
    2. Chapter 5: Encountering the Ethereum Blockchain
      1. Exploring the Brief History of Ethereum
      2. Ethereum: The Open-Source World Wide Computer
      3. Hacking a Blockchain
      4. Getting Up and Running on Ethereum
      5. Building Your First Decentralized Autonomous Organization
      6. Uncovering the Future of DAOs
      7. Creating Your Own ERC20 Tokens
    3. Chapter 6: Riding the Waves Blockchain
      1. Seeing How the Waves Blockchain Differs from Other Blockchains
      2. Unleashing the Full Power of Waves
      3. Uncovering Your Wallet’s Features
      4. Creating and Leasing Out Your Own Cryptocurrency
    4. Chapter 7: Finding the Factom Blockchain
      1. A Matter of Trust
      2. Building on Factom
    5. Chapter 8: Examining the EOS Blockchain
      1. Getting Familiar with EOS
      2. Setting Up EOS Voting for Block Producers
      3. Introducing the EOS Decentralized Application Collection
  5. Part 3: Powerful Blockchain Platforms
    1. Chapter 9: Getting Your Hands on Hyperledger
      1. Getting to Know Hyperledger
      2. Identifying Key Hyperledger Projects
      3. Building Your System in Fabric
      4. Working with Smart Contracts on Hyperledger
    2. Chapter 10: Applying Microsoft Azure
      1. Bletchley: The Modular Blockchain Fabric
      2. Building in the Azure Ecosystem
      3. Getting Started with Chain on Azure
      4. Deploying Blockchain Tools on Azure
    3. Chapter 11: Getting Busy on IBM Bluemix
      1. Business Blockchain on Bluemix
      2. Watson’s Smart Blockchain
      3. Building Your Starter Network on Big Blue
  6. Part 4: Industry Impacts
    1. Chapter 12: Financial Technology
      1. Hauling Out Your Crystal Ball: Future Banking Trends
      2. Going International: Global Financial Products
      3. Squeezing Out Fraud
    2. Chapter 13: Real Estate
      1. Eliminating Title Insurance
      2. Mortgages in the Blockchain World
      3. Forecasting Regional Trends
    3. Chapter 14: Insurance
      1. Precisely Tailoring Coverage
      2. Witnessing for You: The Internet of Things
      3. Taking Out the Third Party in Insurance
    4. Chapter 15: Government
      1. The Smart Cities of Asia
      2. The Battle for the Financial Capital of the World
      3. Securing the World’s Borders
    5. Chapter 16: Other Industries
      1. Lean Governments
      2. The Trust Layer for the Internet
      3. Oracle of the Blockchain
  7. Part 5: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 17: Ten (Or So) Free Blockchain Resources
      1. Ethereum
      2. DigiKnow
      3. Blockchain University
      4. Bitcoin Core
      5. Blockchain Alliance
      6. Multichain Blog
      7. HiveMind
      8. Smith + Crown
      9. Unchained and Unconfirmed Podcasts
    2. Chapter 18: The Ten Rules to Never Break on the Blockchain
      1. Don’t Use Cryptocurrency or Blockchains to Skirt the Law
      2. Keep Your Contracts as Simple as Possible
      3. Publish with Great Caution
      4. Back Up, Back Up, Back Up Your Private Keys
      5. Triple-Check the Address Before Sending Currency
      6. Take Care When Using Exchanges
      7. Beware Wi-Fi
      8. Identify Your Blockchain Dev
      9. Don’t Get Suckered
      10. Don’t Trade Tokens Unless You Know What You’re Doing
    3. Chapter 19: Ten Top Blockchain Projects
      1. The R3 Consortium
      2. T ZERO: Overstocking the Stock Market
      3. Blockstream’s Distributed Systems
      4. MadHive
      5. Blockdaemon
      6. Gemini Dollar and Exchange
      7. Decentraland
      8. TransferWise
      9. Lightning Network
      10. Bitcoin Cash
  8. Index
  9. About the Author
  10. Advertisement Page
  11. Connect with Dummies
  12. End User License Agreement
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